Chapter 6 - THE EMPTY SAFE
The dial tone echoed in the small, fluorescent-lit luggage office.
Nobody breathed.
Vanessa wasn't just planning a hostile takeover; she was willing to commit mass murder to ensure Luca’s compliance.
"She won't do it," Mia whispered, her face pale with terror. "She’s just trying to scare you, Dad."
"She’s a Romano, Mia," Luca said, his voice terrifyingly calm as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. "She will absolutely do it."
"Then we call the police," I urged, stepping forward. "We send the bomb squad to the mansion right now."
"If I call the police, my syndicate goes down with her," Luca explained, his eyes meeting mine. "And Vanessa will trigger the charges the second she sees flashing lights on the driveway. She has men inside the house."
"So what do we do?" my father asked, clutching the heavy master ledger to his chest.
Luca looked at his watch. It was 1:15 AM.
"I go back to the mansion," Luca said. "I walk down the aisle. I buy time."
"You can't marry her!" Mia cried, grabbing her father’s arm. "She’s going to kill you!"
"I won't let it get that far," Luca said, pulling his daughter close. "But I need proof of her treason to present to the syndicate bosses who are attending the wedding. If I show them proof that she planted explosives and is a Romano spy, her own guards will turn on her."
"The ledger," I said, pointing to the book in my dad’s hands. "The ledger proves who her father is."
"The ledger is twenty years old, Rachel," Luca said. "It proves her lineage, but it doesn't prove her current plot. I need the forged succession documents. The papers she planned to have Mia sign."
"Where are they?" Daniel asked.
"She keeps a biometric safe in the master suite," Luca replied. "She thinks I don't know the passcode. That’s where she keeps her private correspondence."
Luca looked at Daniel. "Take Mia and Mr. Bennett to the safe house in Lincoln Park. Lock it down."
"What about you?" Daniel asked.
"I’m driving back to the estate. I have to play the role of the apologetic groom."
"You can't search her safe if she’s watching you," I interrupted.
Luca stopped. He knew I was right. If Vanessa suspected he was onto her, she would detonate the charges.
"I’ll do it," I said, my voice surprisingly steady despite the throbbing pain in my ribs.
"No," Luca said instantly. "Absolutely not."
"Mr. Moretti, I’m the only one who can," I pleaded. "I have clearance to clean the master suite. The security guards know me. Vanessa thinks I’m just a terrified maid she intimidated into silence. She won't suspect me."
"Rachel, if she catches you, she will kill you," Luca said, stepping closer to me, his dark eyes fierce with protective urgency.
"She already tried to kill my father," I shot back, meeting his gaze without flinching. "I’m not sitting this one out."
For a long moment, Luca stared at me. He saw the stubborn determination in my eyes, a reflection of the same loyalty he demanded from his own people.
"Fine," Luca finally agreed, his voice rough. "But you do exactly as I say."
At 5:30 AM, the sun had not yet risen over Chicago.
I slipped through the back delivery entrance of the Moretti mansion, wearing a fresh black maid’s uniform. My ribs were tightly bound, but every step was an exercise in pain management.
The estate was quiet, but the tension was palpable. Unfamiliar men in sharp suits stood at the ends of the hallways—Vanessa’s Romano guards, masquerading as extra wedding security.
I kept my head down, carrying a stack of fresh towels, acting exactly like the invisible servant I was supposed to be.
I made my way to the third floor.
The master suite was at the end of the hall.
I knocked softly. "Housekeeping."
No answer.
I swiped my master keycard. The heavy oak door clicked open.
I slipped inside, my heart hammering against my chest.
The suite was empty. The bed was unmade. Vanessa must be down the hall in the bridal dressing room, preparing for the 10:00 AM ceremony.
I moved quickly to the walk-in closet.
Hidden behind a row of designer shoes was the wall safe Luca had described.
I pulled a small piece of paper from my apron. Luca had written down the master override code used by the estate’s security system.
My hands shook as I punched in the numbers.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Click.
The heavy steel door swung open.
I reached inside, expecting to find the stack of forged succession documents.
My hand met empty air.
I grabbed a small flashlight from my apron and shined it inside.
The safe was completely empty.
Panic seized my throat. Luca’s plan relied entirely on those documents. Without them, we had no proof to stop the wedding or disarm the explosives.
"Looking for this?"
A cold, musical voice floated from the doorway behind me.
I spun around, dropping the flashlight.
Vanessa Bellini stood in the center of the closet.
She was already wearing her wedding dress—a breathtaking, form-fitting gown of white silk and lace. She looked like an angel.
But her eyes were pure malice.
And dangling from her perfectly manicured fingers was a familiar, delicate gold necklace.
May you like
It was the necklace my mother had given me on my sixteenth birthday. The one I kept locked in my locker in the staff locker room.
"You have terrible timing, Rachel," Vanessa smiled, stepping closer.
